Psycho-Vocational Assessments

An assessment involves using a variety of measures to help determine and understand your presenting concerns and develop a course of treatment. An assessment is tailored to your specific concerns and involves a clinical interview, the administration of measures, and feedback session(s) to present findings and delineate a clear plan and appropriate course of treatment. There are a variety of formal assessments for differing presenting concerns.

A psycho-vocational assessment uses the same measures as a standard vocational assessment and adds specific tests to assess an individual’s current psychological functioning that may impact successful employment or educational pursuits. You may want to consider adding psychological testing to your vocational assessment if you are experiencing a change in your mental health or returning to work after an extended period of time.

Steps for a formal assessment typically follow the format below, and can vary depending on the type of assessment:

  1. Free Consultation: Before booking your Assessment Intake session, regardless of the type of assessment, you must first book a consultation. This helps your therapist get a clear understanding of what you are looking for and can book the next sessions accordingly.

  2. Initial Intake Session: This first appointment will focus on discussing your area(s) of concern and provide an opportunity to gather information about your background. We will discuss the assessment process in further detail and develop an assessment plan to address your concerns. 

  3. Testing Session: This step involves completing questionnaires, scales, and/or standardized tests.

  4. Scoring and Report: Your psychologist will score and interpret the data from your assessment and write a comprehensive report describing the results of your assessment.

  5. Feedback session: The final step is overviewing the report, assessment findings, and providing recommendations for next steps. You will be provided with a copy of the assessment report at the end of this session. 

The cost of an assessment ranges based on type of evaluation and referral question. Each assessment is billed at a rate of $220/hour in alignment with the Psychologist’s Association of Alberta (PAA) fee schedule. Vocational/career assessments typically start at $495, psycho-educational assessments start at $2200, and are subject to increase. All assessments include the initial intake session, questionnaire and test administration, report writing, and the feedback session. 

Extended health benefits may cover some or all the cost of an assessment. Please verify with your benefits provider to determine your available coverage. At the end of the assessment process, you will be provided with an invoice that can be submitted to your insurance company. 

Assessment Therapists